Sailor Moon Monthly Fanfiction January 09
by Melinda Sandy Halliwell
Summary: 31 short stories involving the Senshi Inners and Outers and Shitennou.
1. My Resolution

AN: Joined the sm_monthly community on Live Journal. These are the drabbles for the January Challenge. They'll be relatively short as they're exercises as much as anything. January's theme is Shitennou/Senshi - not surprisingly my favorite!

Day 1 theme: Resolution

**My Resolution**

Ami swallowed a sighed as she raised her glass in the midnight toast. "Happy New Year!" She chinked her glass against the others and then took a sip of her champagne. She then averted her eyes as she watched the couples share their midnight kisses.

Shaking her head slightly, she moved away from the others and out onto the balcony. She smiled softly at the cool, crisp air and closed her eyes for just a moment, letting the cold soothe her.

She opened her eyes and took another sip of her champagne, remembering that last year she'd drunk too much and did not want to repeat that mistake.

"Mind if I join you?"

Ami turned and shook her head slightly, "Of course not."

Zoi grinned and stepped out onto the balcony. For a moment there was silence, then Zoi decided to break it, "Was getting a bit hot in there for me. I think most of them have forgotten that anyone else is around."

Ami blushed at the insinuation, not realizing that it was also an extreme exaggeration.

Zoi smiled at the red in Ami's cheeks, but also realized that the attempt to draw her into conversation had failed.

"So… um… did you make any resolutions for the New Year?"

Ami blinked, and to Zoi's surprise the red in her cheeks deepened. "One. I made one."

"Mind sharing?"

Ami closed her eyes and took a sip of her champagne, shaking her head slightly.

"Well, I'll tell you mine anyway." Ami blinked as Zoi's arm snaked around her waist. "I'm going to do whatever it takes to convince you that I love you, to break through your shell."

Ami finished off her champagne and then turned a bit to look at Zoi more fully. "What if I don't want you to?"

"Well, I guess you have a year to prove that to me." Zoisite tilted Ami's chin and then kissed the young woman soundly.

"I think it's going to be a good year, Ames."

She blinked as she watched Zoi head back inside. She whispered, "My resolution is to lower my guard, to let you in."


	2. Catch Me If You Can

AN: A bit of all the couples except Mamoru/Usagi (well, they're mentioned, but Usagi's not in it)

Theme: Winter Sports

**Catch Me If You Can**

"How did I let you talk me into this?" Rei glared at her friends as she shivered in the cold, wrapping her arms around herself.

"It's not that cold, Rei." Makoto chuckled as she adjusted her grip on her poles.

"It is that cold when your element is Fire!"

Ami smiled, "I think it's beautiful."

Rei glanced at the smallest of the girls and sighed. Ami had definitely brightened since they'd come to the mountains. The cold, the snow, all of it seemed to be good for the Senshi of Ice and Water.

"Aaaand, it's romantic!"

Rei bit her lip to keep from laughing as Minako's comment caused Ami to blush.

"It's a shame we couldn't convince Usagi to try the slopes."

Mamoru laughed, "Makoto, I think I'd prefer my fiancé in one piece, please. She's gotten much less clumsy, but…" He lifted his right foot slightly, "I'm not sure she could handle these very well."

"Even with you as her teacher, 'Mamo-chan'?"

Rei groaned and used her pole to bonk her lover on his head. "Be nice."

"Ow… Rei!" He wagged his eyebrows at her, "I'm going to get you for that."

"You'll have to catch me first." The Senshi of Fire stuck her tongue out at Illusionist and took off down the mountain.

"Oh… I will…" He grinned, "I'll see you guys later."

Minako grinned, "That's so cute."

"You think that's cute?" Kunz raised an eyebrow.

"Mmm-hmm."

Ami shook her head slightly as she watched the different expressions of affection between the couples.

Minako grinned to Kunz and then looked over to Makoto, "Think we can take them?"

Makoto smirked as she looked over the Neph, "Them? Easy."

"You ladies are on. Mamoru? Count us off."

"Wait!" Zoi interrupted before Mamoru could begin his count. "If you're going to challenge them, there needs to be a prize."

"Oh, don't worry, Zoi… there's a prize." Kunz's expression as he looked at Minako was positively predatory, causing even the Senshi of Love to blush.

Mamoru chuckled, "All right. On your Mark. Get set. Go!"

The four took off and Ami watched them until they were out of sight. "Is Minako purposefully slowing down?"

"Looks that way."

Ami blushed as she shook her head, though she envied her friends for their ease around the guys. Which was when she realized that she was now alone with two of them.

She blinked and looked at her feet for a moment.

"See you guys at the bottom."

Ami's head snapped up as Mamoru launched himself and started down the mountain.

"Um…"

* * *

Rei laughed as she reached the bottom of the slope just a couple of moments before Jade. "I thought you were going to catch me?" She popped the skis off and leaned them against the fence.

"Oh… I am." Jade quickly had his skis beside hers.

"You think so, huh?"

He took a couple of steps toward her, "I know so."

She didn't back up. Rei never backed down from a challenge.

Jade laughed and stepped closer again, this time snaring her waist with his arm. "I saw a hot tub in the hotel."

"Ooh… consider me caught."

Jade grinned.

"I believe that means we won, ladies."

Rei and Jade looked over to see the other four reaching the bottom. Kunz then Makoto, followed by Neph, and finally Minako a good half minute after the other three. Makoto was positively glaring at Minako.

"You lost on purpose!"

Minako squealed as Kunz, who had placed his skis beside Rei and Jades caught her up in his arms. "I don't know, Makoto. I think we won."

Makoto groaned as Neph grinned at her, "Skis off, woman. You've got a forfeit to pay."

"Yeah, yeah." She laughed as she undid her skis. "You know we paid for these for the whole day."

Neph shrugged, "Oh well."

Mamoru laughed as he reached the bottom of the mountain. "Are you guys calling it a day already?"

"Mm-hmm. At least for a while. I can think of other things I'd rather be doing."

Mamoru grinned, "Good… I was going to feel bad if I was the only one to take a break. I think I'll go find Usako."

"Mamoru?"

He turned around hearing Rei call his name. "Yes?"

"Where are Ami and Zoi?"

"I'm sure they're coming." He shrugged as he took of his skis and headed into the lodge.

Minako squealed again, "OH! And the snow. This is sooo perfect."

"Minako…" Kunz grinned down at her as he put her down so she could take her skis off, "Leave them alone."

"I don't know, you're going to have to keep me distracted…"

"Gladly."

Rei rolled her eyes and grinned to Jade, "Hot tub, now."

"As you wish, Phoenix."

"Mako? We don't have to go in yet, if you don't want."

Makoto grinned up to Neph. "A couple more runs, and then I'm all yours."

"Deal."


	3. From the Ashes a Fire Shall Be Woken

AN: Day 3 - Ashes. Focusing on a different couple this time.

Points to those who know whence the title comes! :)

**From the Ashes a Fire Shall Be Woken**

Rei stepped gingerly around the ruins of the barren landscape. As she looked around, she could not discern where she was. There were ruins of what must have once been buildings, but there was not enough left to recognize what they used to be.

She felt depressed as she took in the surroundings. There was an echo that she felt, an echo which made it clear that this was once a place of life and vitality. Now the air was heavy with dust and ashes, a gloomy testament to that which was once lively and growing.

The priestess continued to walk carefully, being respectful of those form who this was a final resting place. She had no question that this vision was a warning, the problem was that she was not sure what the warning was.

"Is this the future?"

There was no answer, and Rei frowned deeply as she continued forward. "What am I supposed to learn from this?"

Still there was no answer, and Rei resigned herself to trying to understand the enigma on her own.

The landscaped changed and the ruins became larger. They were still barren, but they had maintained some of their form, enough that Rei began to have a hint of what had once stood there. She frowned as she made out a column, and then began to recognize what it was that she was seeing.

She knew this place. She had grown up here ages ago. This was the Castle of Mars – her home from a lifetime ago.

"Why am I here?" She frowned as she knelt to touch the ashes on the floor. She knew her home planet was barren now, had watched with amusement as scientists tried to discover whether or not it had ever supported life; after all, she had already known the answer.

She felt despair begin to wash over her, and found herself having to fight it back. She tried to break the connection with the sacred fire, to free herself from the vision, but she could not. For the first time, she found herself regretting that she had banished Jade from this sacred space.

As if summoned by her thought, she felt him there with her, felt his hand gently alight upon her shoulder. "I'm here, Phoenix."

Rei turned and smiled slightly at him, and Jade was taken back by the fear he saw in her eyes, a sight rarely seen in Rei's strong violent eyes.

"It's Mars. This is what is left."

Jade looked around and nodded, knowing that no words could bring comfort to his fiery priestess, not with this.

"This is home. I remember it used to be vibrant, beautiful, now it's cold."

Jade clenched his jaw slightly, feeling the guilt that he had been a part of destroying this. He had not attacked Mars himself, but he and the others had been instrumental in creating the downfall of all the planets when they destroyed the Silver Alliance, when they killed the Senshi.

Rei frowned and walked deeper into the castle ruins, Jade following after her as he tried to fight back the guilt.

"I don't understand why I'm being shown this."

Jade's voice was harsh, "Perhaps it's a warning. To stay away from me, so that I don't cause this again."

Rei stopped and spun on her heels, her eyes flashing as she looked at him, "How dare you?"

Jade frowned, "The message seems clear enough to me." He swept his arm over the expanse. "Without my betrayal, your home would still be vibrant and living."

"Do you plan to betray me again?"

Jade shook his head, "Of course not! But I never planned to betray you in the first place."

Rei rolled her eyes, "Idiot. This may be a warning to prevent the past from repeating itself, but it's not about keeping us apart."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because, that would be too cruel."

He smiled slightly at that and moved to catch his priestess in her arms, "I won't let this happen again."

"I know. Neither will I." She smiled, despite their depressing surroundings and leaned up to kiss him. The kiss felt as if it seared her very soul, but it was a heat in which she exalted.

When she lowered herself back down, something caught her attention from the corner of her eye. She turned from him to see it more clearly, and it caused her to blink.

"Rei?" Jade frowned as he looked down at her and then followed where she was looking.

"I don't think it was a warning after all. I think, perhaps… this was a message about hope."

Among the ashes of the palace was a small purple flower. Standing defiant among the rubble.


	4. Missing Out

AN: I got to go to Kerak Castle in May. Since it's from the medieval time period, I thought this would work well for Day Four's theme - "Medieval."

Primary focus on Minako/Kunzite. I find this one rather amusing.

* * *

Kunz smiled as he walked through the castle. There had been a time when he would not been that interested in the history of the area, but since he had come back to himself, he'd found a natural curiosity had been awaken in him regarding the Middle East. From his discussions with the other guys, he knew that they had had similar experiences.

The history of this particular castle had brought up some good natured teasing between him and Zoi. Of course, Zoi was not really defending the actions of Raynald and the Europeans at Kerak, but he did defend some of the other Europeans from the same time period, insisting, correctly Kunz admitted, that some of the Europeans behaved humanely even during the period of Saladin.

"I thought castles were supposed to be romantic! This is… just… rock."

Kunz chuckled as he looked down to the blonde whose arm was through his own. "Love, they're ruins. Did you expect to see tapestries and gilding?"

"No… but…" She huffed, "It's not even been 900 years… I thought more would have remained than this."

"Oh, I don't know, Mina. I think it's quite romantic." Usagi was positively beaming as she and Mamoru emerged from one of the rooms that all looked the same to Mina – empty.

Kunz coughed into his hand slightly as he looked at his prince. Mamoru caught the gesture and blushes slightly as Kunz gestured to his untucked shirt.

Mina giggled as Mamoru tucked his shirt back into his pants, while Usagi smiled innocently. Mamoru shook his head slightly, trying to divert everyone's attention, "So… where did the other's get to?"

Mina rolled her eyes, "Well, Makoto got all interested in the kitchen. I couldn't make much out in there, though it was less empty than most of these rooms. She dragged Neph with her to look at the kitchens. Last I saw Rei and Jade they were arguing over the honor of murder holes and arrow slits. And Ami was patiently listening to Zoi explain that the Templars are not representative of all the Europeans who took part in the Crusades."

Usagi frowned at that last bit, "I thought Kunz had already conceded that point."

"I have, but Zoi seems to think that that dark period of history reflects on him personally."

Makoto and Neph joined them, and Minako blinked. Was she really the only one who had not figured out the romantic possibilities of this place? How was that possible? _She_ was the Senshi of Love!

"He needs to get over that. Every part of this world has had parts of it's history that were shameful. We can't let them get to us personally."

Makoto smirked, "Besides, I'm not sure that's the best way to work on his resolution. I mean, yes, Ami will listen patiently and appreciate the arguments, but… I don't think that would woo even her."

Rei smiled as she and Jade joined them, straightening her shirt as she did so. "Oh, I wouldn't be so sure of that Makoto."

Usagi grinned, "OH?! What did you see?"

Jade smirked, "Zoi had her pressed against the wall. Not touching her, but I don't think even Ames could miss the sexual tension."

Minako huffed and she started pulling Kunz away from the rest of the group.

"Where you going, Mina?" Rei's question was innocently asked, but the answer surprised her.

"I will not be the only one to miss out on just how romantic these ruins can be!"

She ignored the laughter as she dragged Kunz into an abandoned room.


	5. Lost and Found

AN: We see the couples, but that's not the main interaction. Prompt was to use the image that can be found at .com/art/I-m-lost-93972813 for our inspiration. Day 5.

**Lost and Found**

Neph wandered around London. He could barely even remember what had triggered the memories, but he had needed to get away from the others. Each of the guys dealt with the memories differently when they forced themselves to the fore, but it was the same basic reaction – to retreat. Kunz worked out alone, Jade became quiet, and Zoi clung to whoever was available. Neph needed to be outside, under the open sky, and alone – at least away from the others.

He lifted his face towards the heavens, ignoring the crowds that were around him. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to feel the stars, even if he could not see them in the overcast London sky.

After a few moments, he opened his eyes and began to wander around the city, not paying attention to where he was going, just trying to outrun the memories that seemed to hound him. In an admittedly misguided attempt to distract himself, he tried to remember what had triggered the memories in the first place.

The Outers had gone shopping, though Neph was rather amused at how easily Michiru managed to convince Haruka to join them. He was not sure if that was because she was uncomfortable around the others without her partner, or if it was simply that Michiru had her partner well and truly wrapped around her finger. He suspected that it had more to do with being their own family unit within the larger group, though he sometimes wondered how exactly Setsuna fit into that.

The girls were discussing the plans for the afternoon and evening, while the guys were listening, amused. They had been discussing going to the Tower of London, when Ami pointed out that they did not know when the Outers were going to be rejoining them, and that they could not go to the Tower of London without them.

They then looked up to see what was playing at the Globe – which Zoi pointed out was not in it's historical position. A quick check online showed that it was Love's Labour's Lost.

"_What is that one about? I don't think I'm familiar with it. I've heard of it, but I don't think I've read that one." Since Makoto had been the one to ask, no one was teasing about not paying attention in school, and Neph was pretty sure that Makoto was not the only one who was uncertain._

"_It's a comedy about a king and his friends who swear off love but then the princess and her friends visit." Zoi frowned a bit, "And they all fall in love."_

"_Oh! I like that story! Does the king have four friends?" Usagi was positively bouncing at the succinct description Zoi had given, missing that he had frowned at the end of it._

"_Three." Ami answered quickly, watching Zoi's reaction._

"_I bet they live happily ever after."_

"_Not every story ends that way, Princess."_

_It was Zoi's formality that caught everyone's attention, including Usagi's._

"_What happens?"_

_Zoi was frowning, looking down, and refused to answer. Neph glanced over at Kunz, whose jaw had tightened, and he realized the reason Zoi was not being ordered to explain was that Kunz knew the answer. He exchanged a glance with Jade who shrugged, though he mouthed, "I'm not sure I want to know."_

"_Ami?"_

_Ami frowned as she looked at the men and then to Usagi, "Later."_

"_I want to know! It's a comedy! That means it has a happy ending."_

_Ami sighed and looked down, "The princess is called home to become queen because her father has died. The men swear that they will be faithful… but the women don't believe them. They make them prove their love, to wait a year and a day, some with tasks, some not."_

"_Do they?"_

"_The play doesn't say…"_

_A silence again settled over them all. It was different, but it was far too close to home. Neph stood, "I need some fresh air…"_

He sighed as he remembered. It was a play, and no one's fault that it was the one currently showing at the Globe. He knew it was silly to let the plot of a play written by someone who could not have known their stories affect him so. He had to admit that he felt rather vindicated that it had bothered the others as well.

The air had cleared his head though. The memories were under control. Never forgotten, but he would not be the puppet of the past.

However, when he looked around, he realized that he did not know where he was. A fog had settled over the city as he had wondered, and he could not make out the landmarks that could get him where he needed to be.

"Neph?"

He turned, hearing his name, trying to see through the fog to see who had called to him. Neph grimaced slightly as it was Haruka who approached him.

"What are you doing out here? Don't tell me that the Star Gazer got lost."

"'Ruka! Be nice!"

Neph blinked a bit, trying to see clearly through all the fog. "Where are Setsuna and Hotaru?"

"Oh, they decided to go back and join the others. Is everything all right, Neph?"

He nodded, "Yeah, I just needed to clear my head. I'm sorry to have interrupted your date. I'll be fine. I just need to get my bearings."

He was surprised to see Haruka shaking her head, "We know what it's like. We've made our own decisions that have left us with harsh memories. But sometimes, what you need is not really to be alone."

Neph grinned, surprised by gentleness from Haruka. "I'm fine now. It was silly really."

"The trigger usually is." Michiru's smile was warm. "We'll walk back with you. We were going to be heading back anyway."

"Are you sure?"

Haruka smirked, though Neph saw it differently now, "I'd rather not have to explain to Makoto that we found you and then left you lost. She's almost to the point where she can take me, and if she's angry that might do it."

Neph grinned, "You're a wise woman, Haruka."


	6. Words Can Hurt

AN: Theme for Day 6 - Internet. Mako/Neph :)

**Words Can Hurt**

She growled in frustration and he glanced over at her, afraid that she was going to fling the laptop across the room. At least it would be easier to tell Ami that they need a new computer than when she fried their previous one.

"I can't believe that people could really be this… this… " She growled again, "This stupid! This cruel!"

"Makoto….lightning, breath."

"I don't want to breath! I want to…"

"I know what you want to do. And the only time I ever bothered to check that site, I wanted to do the same thing, but all that will do is add more fuel to the fire."

"I just… if this is really what people think, then why are we even doing this?"

"It's not what everyone thinks, Mako. It's what a handful of loud idiots who are hiding behind the anonymity of screen names think. These people are cowards, people who would never even consider saying these things to you directly. Half of them are probably just jumping on the band wagon and don't really even really believe what they're saying."

"It's supposed to make me feel better that they're unthinking sheep who can't form their own opinions?"

Neph sighed and moved over to the woman he loved, moving the laptop away before she could do it any permanent harm. "No, it's not supposed to make you feel better. It _is_, however, supposed to make you realize that their opinions should be of very little value to you."

"But Neph," Makoto sighed as she was forced to stop reading the comments, perversity and anger driving her on to see what else people had said. "Those reviews could ruin me. They could destroy my reputation."

He gently wrapped his arms around her and kissed her, forcing her to stop talking for a moment. She protested against his lips for only a moment before she gave into the kiss and he felt her own arms wrap around him.

When the kiss finally broke after a few minutes he shook his head, "No, love. They can't. Anyone who has ever eaten at Lightning Strikes Twice will know better. Besides, it's obvious that these so called 'critics' have not really even stepped foot inside the restaurant – they even got the décor wrong. Stop worrying about it."


	7. Got Ya

AN: Theme for Day 7 - Wink. If anyone needs, I can clarify this in this AN for the next one.

**Got Ya**

Ami watched those around her, trying to be careful not to make eye contact. She took a deep breath as she glanced up real quick, trying to see if she could see anything without making herself vulnerable. She frowned slightly and looked down, trying to discern if she had seen what she thought she had.

She shook her head slightly, closed her eyes for a moment to moisten them and then glanced to her left.

No one was speaking, and Ami found the tension to be exhilarating. She ran through what she knew, trying to ascertain the answer to the puzzle that was arrayed in front of her. It was imperative that she figured out the answer before she was killed herself.

Makoto had already been taken out, and as Ami carefully observed her surroundings, the killer got both Mamoru and Jade. As Jade fell, he gasped out an "I love you, Phoenix…"

Ami bit her lip. They were down by three. She thought about what she had thought she'd seen, surveyed the field and nodded. It all fit.

With a smirk, Ami raised her hand, "I know who the killer is."

"Who is it, Ami? Who killed my Mamo-chan?!" Usagi's voice held a plaintive note, and Ami noticed that the future Queen kept her eyes locked on Ami, hoping to safe guard herself.

Ami grinned and turned to look at the killer, "Zoi."

Zoi laughed and revealed his card, showing the Ace of Spades, "Guilty as charged."

Rei laughed and reached down, thwapping Jade's head before offering her hand to help him up, "A bit overdramatic there."

"What? I had to beat Makoto's very convincing fall!"

Makoto laughed as Neph pulled her to her feet, "It wasn't that good, Jade."

"Oh, I don't know, Makoto. I think you won the most convincing death scene that round." Kunz grinned as he leaned back in his chair.

Minako nodded, "Agreed!"

"Mamo-chan! Why didn't you declare your love with your final breath?" Usagi pouted as she stamped her foot!

Mamoru laughed as he pulled Usagi down onto the floor with him. "I can't do that every time I die, love. I need some variety."

Zoi smirked at Ami, "Good job, Ames."

Ami blushed as she smiled at him, "Thanks… I should have called it sooner though. Could have saved Mamoru and Jade."

Neph laughed, "It's a game, Ames. You did fine."

"Mm-hmm" Minako was wearing a mischievous grin that made Ami nervous. "I think she earned a reward, Zoi… what do you think?"

Before she could protest, Zoi had winked and pulled her into his arms for a soft and sweet kiss. "Got ya."


	8. A Glimpse of the Future

AN: Another Mako/Neph Drabble. Day 8 theme - Popcorn

**A Glimpse of the Future**

He had known he was in trouble when she volunteered. Admittedly, the kind of trouble that he had envisioned had been completely different from what was actually happening.

It had started when Usa – he refused to call her Chibi Usa – had come back for "one last visit."

Knowing glances had been exchanged when she announced why she'd come, "Puu says it's the last chance I have before I can't come back anymore." Neph had been amused to see that Usagi had actually blushed deeper than Ami at that.

However, it was only a few weeks before Mamoru and Usagi decided that they would like some time without their daughter. Mamoru had shocked Usa by informing the teen that if she wanted to be born her mother and he needed some alone time.

Unfortunately, Michiru and Haruka had also decided that this Friday night would be a good date night, and Setsuna had needed to get back to the time gate for a bit.

So Makoto had volunteered to provide the adult supervision for the night and invited the girls over for a sleep over. For some reason, none of the guys had been willing or able to bail him out of a night of teenaged-girl hell.

Neph had not had any sisters. However, he knew the stories of the girls when they were just a year older than the two they'd be watching this evening, and he remembered the kind of trouble that he had gotten into as a teen. Added to that was the fact that these two had powers. He sighed as he remembered that conversation.

"So do we, dear."

"Yes, but if Hotaru decides to use her full powers to sneak out, there's not anything we can do about it!"

Makoto had blinked at him and then started laughing, "Oh, Neph! Hotaru is a good kid. And she's not going to destroy the world just to sneak out for the night. Besides, we'll just watch a movie, do nails and hair, it will be fine!"

That had been the first indication that tonight's trouble would involve giggling, the girls – including "Aunt Makoto" – looking magazines full with heart throbs, the smell of fingernail polish, and his Mako looking far too happy to be playing with Usa's pink hair. He had thought he was going to break his teeth as he clenched his jaw, listening to them talk of boys, the cute one at Hotaru's school, Helios – Neph wondered if Mamoru knew just how infatuated his little girl was, and Makoto's past relationships – including her "old sempai."

Now they were getting ready to watch a movie, _Stardust_. He reflected that it could be worse; they could have wanted to see _High School Musical._

"Neph?!" Makoto ran into the kitchen and hit the end button on the microwave.

"What?" He blinked as he came out of his thoughts and back to the present. "What's that smell?"

Makoto opened the microwave door and pulled out the bag. "Burnt popcorn, dear. I told you not to just let the time run out! You have to take it out when the pops slow down."

"Um…. I got lost in my thoughts. Sorry."

The girls were standing in the door way, in their pajamas giggling. "It's ok, Uncle Neph!"

"That was the last bag, girls; we'll just have to have chips." Makoto's eyes were laughing as she did not take them off Neph.

"Kay!" They giggled and moved back into the living room.

Neph watched them leave and then looked back to Makoto, smiling. He grabbed her waist, "You're going to make a great mom."

"Mm-hmm."

"Just please, give me at least one boy."

Makoto laughed, kissed him softly, and then slipped out of his grasp to get the chips. "I'll try."


	9. A Matter of Perspective

AN: Back to Ami/Zoi. This one personally amuses me. Day 9 Theme - Fail

**A Matter of Perspective**

Ami sat in their old booth at the Crown. She knew the girls were trying to cheer her up, but she could not quite bring herself to be cheered. Nothing like this had ever happened to her before, and she found herself questioning her very identity.

"Here, Ames. Have a chocolate milk-shake. That always makes me feel better!" Usagi pushed the shake that she had ordered for the genius of the group over to her.

Ami managed a small smile and took a sip of the shake so as not to disappoint Usagi. "Thank you."

"Ami, it's really not that bad. It's just one test." Makoto reached over to gently pat Ami's hand. She knew her friend, knew how important tests and grades were to her, and understood that the stakes were even higher for Ami now that she was in med school. However, even with all that, it was hard for Makoto to understand how anyone could get so worked up over one test.

Ami sighed and nodded. "I know."

Rei picked up the train of thought from Makoto. "And all your other test grades have been top of the class right?" At Ami's nod she smiled, "Then it really is just one test. You'll still be fine!"

"I know. It's just… I never did this poorly before. Ever!"

Minako tilted her head, "Um… were you not feeling well? I mean, one grade is really not that big a deal. Usagi failed all the time and she's going to be queen of the world! But… were you sick?"

"HEY!"

Rei smirked, "Well, it is true Odango."

"REI! Why are you being mean to me?!"

Ami chuckled despite herself and missed that Rei and Usagi exchanged winks.

"So what was the problem?'

Ami blushed and muttered something under her breath before putting her head down on the table, on her crossed arms.

"Um…" The girls exchanged confused looks, not really having caught what she said.

Before anyone could press her further, a bell was heard and Usagi grinned, waving the guys over to the table. No one heard Ami's whimper as shuffling was done around the corner table so that the couples could sit together.

"Hey, Genius Girl, what's wrong?"

Ami's only answer to Jade's question was a whimper. Ami felt a hand stroking her back, trying to provide comfort, and it was only when that hand started playing with her hair that she sat up, rigidly straight with a strangled cry.

"Ames?" Zoi pulled his hand back looking hurt.

Makoto's expression was sympathetic, "Ami did not do well on a test."

"Oh…" The guys were quiet for a moment before Jade broke the silence, "It's just a test, Ames! C'mon, you've proven yourself time and time again. So what if you failed a test?"

Mamoru grimaced, "That's not how med school works, Jade."

Ami ignored the rest of what was being said. She did not catch Neph asking if she was all right or Kunz's offer to spar to let her blow off steam or to lighten her training so she could focus on studying. She didn't hear Minako inform Kunz that Ami was a Senshi and so under her training schedule, but of course Ami could take more time to study.

Instead, Ami turned to glare at Zoi. Causing him to inch away from her, until he wound up almost in Kunz's lap.

"Hey! Only I get to sit there, Zoi… um…. Ames?"

"This is your fault!" Everyone blinked at the sudden outburst which was clearly aimed at Zoi.

"I'm sorry… I just… you needed to take a break."

"Not right before a test!"

"I didn't mean for the break to last all night."

Ami was so lost in anger that she did not notice the expressions on the faces of everyone else at the table, or the passing of money from Neph to Jade.

"But it did! And because of that I failed!"

"I'm sorry…"

Silence reigned for a moment, while everyone else wondered if Usagi or Minako was going to burst first.

"Ami! That's so great! It's about time the two of you…" Usagi gestured to communicate the rest of the sentence.

"You'll have to tell us all about it later, Ames!"

Ami blinked while Zoi blushed. "Why do you want to know, Minako? I think you'd find it boring."

Kunz gently pet Zoi on the back as the other guys looked at him sympathetically.

"We played Chess!"

"Oh…" There was a collective sigh of disappointment, though Neph grinned as Jade passed him his money back.

Mamoru, who was sitting on the other side of Ami, pulled the offending paper out of Ami's open briefcase.

"Ami… is this the test?"

Ami grimaced and nodded, "It's horrible."

Usagi looked at the paper Mamoru was holding and blinked, "It's a B+! That's not failing!"

"It is for me..."


	10. Sometimes Plans Get in the Way

He was a planner. That was a part of what he did, who he was. He made plans. He made contingency plans. He knew where he wanted to be in five years, ten years, twenty years, and he had a plan on how to get there. He was a planner.

She was a planner, sometimes. She made plans to get together with the girls, to go shopping, to hang out, and to practice. She made schemes. She came up with hair-brained ideas, and enjoyed them – even when they failed. She knew where she wanted to be in five years, ten years, twenty years, but she lived in the present, trusting that things would work out.

He had been a commander, was again. He knew that the best plans rarely, if ever, survived the first engagement. That did not keep him from making plans, from practicing them, from drilling the others in them.

She was a commander, and except for her time as a solo-Senshi, always had been. She trusted her sisters. They drilled together, but did not make explicit plans. Each one knew their role, and they worked well together. Rather than plans, she trusted in their instincts, in the working together.

And yet they worked well together. She was learning the value of plans, of not going into battle blindly, trusting on Ami to come up with a strategy during the attack – Ami still was key with strategy, but now they tended to think in advance more. He was learning the value of instinct and relearning how to work together with his men. Under Beryl, they had forgotten how to be a team, and with the help of the Senshi were relearning.

But sometimes it caused conflict. Sometimes he got frustrated with her spontaneity. Sometimes she got frustrated with his need to plan everything. Sometimes he became annoyed with her constant tardiness. Sometimes she became annoyed with his constant reminders that they need to be somewhere.

Occasionally, they seemed to flip personalities though. That was what had happened today.

He had surprised her by suggesting that they take a trip to the beach and threw her bag in the car, telling her to take as long as she wanted to get ready. He had surprised her even more when they reached the beach house and everyone else was there.

And now, as she watched her best friends walk down to join their men - or in Michiru's case her woman, she had to fight to keep the tears from falling down her cheeks. Finally, Chibi Usa and Hotaru went, both having insisted that they were not too old to throw petals, while Rei handed her bouquet to Ami and moved to officiate.

"You look beautiful, Mina." Artemis – in human form thanks to Usagi – offered her his arm. "Ready?"

Minako nodded and accepted his arm. She had not gotten to chose her dress, but it was perfect. He had surprised her with spontaneity, taken away the one event she would have meticulously planned, and she would not have had it any other way. As Artemis walked her down the aisle, and the eyes of her closest friends were on her, she only had eyes for Kunz.


	11. The Secret of Silence

AN: I forgot to give an AN for the last drabble. Sorry about that. It was Day 10 - Theme - Plan.

This one is Day 11 - Theme - Secrets.

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed. It really makes me feel good that drabbles are so enjoyed.

**The Secret of Silence**

Everyone thought that she was good at keeping secrets. While they did not tell her everything, more than once she was the one in which the others would confide. Sometimes she did not really understand exactly what it was they were telling her. Other times she wondered how they could tell such secrets to a child – though thankfully they never told her anything truly traumatizing. Even Minako knew better than to say anything that could steal her innocence.

"Are you serious? Your mama and papa want a baby."

Hotaru nodded, "Mm-hmm. And I wouldn't mind being a big sister, either."

"Who would be the father?"

"I don't know. I'm not sure they've decided yet."

Hotaru and Chibi Usa were lying in the grass watching the clouds above them. Chibi Usa looked over at her best friend, frowning a bit to herself as she watched her. There were things that she knew that Hotaru did not, could not. No one thought Chibi Usa could keep a secret, but Puu had been very clear in warning her against "future consequences."

She turned back to look at the skies, wishing that the clouds could talk to her the way the stars talked to Uncle Neph. Finally, after a few moments of thought, she spoke, "I've never been told who the father is." It was true; misleading, but true.

Hotaru smiled, "So I do have a little brother or sister?"

Fortunately, Chibi Usa was spared from answering when a pair of hands descended upon the two of the, tickling each of them.

"Uncle Zoi!"

The two girls got up, running away from him as he stood back up, "Did you two want to go shopping or not?"

Chibi Usa stopped and turned around, grinning. "You're taking us for ice cream afterwards, right?"

"You are very much your mother's daughter. Yes, I'm taking you for ice cream afterwards. But only after you help me pick out a present." He smiled to the two girls as they each grabbed one of his hands and began pulling him out of the park.

As they headed toward the jewelry store, Hotaru looked up at Jade, "What's the present for? Ami's birthday isn't until September. Is it some kind of anniversary?"

Zoi smiled, "I'm kind of hoping that it will be in a year."

Chibi Usa squealed, and Zoi reflected on how much it sounded like Usagi's, "You're going to propose?"

"Pro…propose?" Zoi coughed slightly, "Um… no." He could imagine how Ami would react if he tried to propose to her now. "No, we're not ready for that yet." That was not entirely true. Zoi was ready for that, but he knew that Ami was definitely not.

"What's it an anniversary of then, Uncle Zoi?"

He smiled, "I'm not sure yet. Just don't tell the others. They'll just embarrass Ami."

"So… it's a secret?"

"For now."

Everyone thought that she was good at keeping secrets. She knew it was because she was the Senshi of Silence.

Chibi Usa knew better.


	12. To Run Where the Brave Dare Not Go

AN: Day 12 - Theme - Forbidden

**To Run Where the Brave Dare Not Go**

Rei's eyes narrowed as she paced in her bedroom. Her jaw clenched, and she felt the blood pounding in her ears. She was pissed, and it was even worse that the person who had caused her so much anger was not present for her to punish.

She growled and stormed out of her room, heading outside. Perhaps running through some katas would help her relieve the pent up tension and release the energy she was feeling.

Instead, she found that the focusing exercises had her focusing on the anger.

"How dare he?!"

Phobos and Deimos moved further from the priestess as she went through the exercises.

"Who does he think he is?!"

Her jaw was clenched as she finished the last kata, giving up on that approach since it did not seem to be making much of a difference in how she felt.

"What gives him the right to forbid _me_ from looking into the Sacred Fire?!"

Phobos squawked at her, and while the guardians did not often speak in their raven forms, Rei had no problem deciphering what she was trying to say. _Then why are you obeying him?_

Rei frowned at that. "I was angry! But you're right. You're absolutely right. There is no reason I should not look into the Sacred Fire just because some… guy… tells me that I'm forbidden from doing so."

Deimos laughed, and Rei smiled, feeling rather vindicated.

"Thanks!" She called to the birds as she headed inside and to the Sacred Fire.

Unfortunately, Jade had done more than telling her that she was not allowed to use the Sacred Fire for scrying. He had angered her, and anger could be a hindrance in pyromancy, could keep her from focusing.

She took a few deep breaths, allowing her body to guide her in the centering process. As her breathing steadied, her heart rate began to slow. Eventually, she closed her eyes, releasing the anger and pain that came any man thinking that he could control her – much less the one man she trusted above all others. As the pain and anger calmed down, she opened her eyes, and allowed the flames to soothe her.

When she finally broke the connection with the Sacred Fire, she was stunned. In the privacy of the fire room, she allowed herself to slump forward, her forehead resting in her hands. "Well, at least now I know the why he dared…"

After a few more moments of calming, Rei stood and took a moment to straighten her robes.

She came into the living room to find him smirking.

"Shut up."

"I tried to warn you."

"You forbade me! You… you _knew_ I'd look…"

"Um… actually, Neph pointed that out to me. I just was trying to keep it a surprise, and I panicked. Needless to say, the guys have all had a good laugh at my expense."

Rei chuckled, "You're an idiot, Jade."

He caught her and pulled her close to himself, melding her body against his as he kissed her, not desperately but lovingly and with more promise than she ever remembered. "And you love me."

She nodded, "And I should have trusted you."

He shrugged a bit, "You're the one who ruined this for yourself." He took half a step back, giving himself room to go down onto one knee and took her hand in his. "Hino Rei, Senshi of Passion, of Fire, of Mars, I can't see into the future the way you can, but when I look into my future, I know that I need you to be a part of it. Will you marry me?"

Rei laughed and leaned down, kissing him soundly. When she stood she pulled him up with the hand he was holding and lead him into the bedroom, wanting to answer with more than just a word.


	13. Betrayed by Silence

AN: Day 13 - Betrayal

**Betrayed By Silence**

Ami took a deep breath and rubbed her temples, closing her eyes and trying to ignore, for just a moment. Zoi had sworn to her that he had not told the guys about taking her out, and she knew that she had not said anything to the girls. He had been a bit hurt about her need for secrecy, but this was the exact reason why she did.

"Ok, it's very very important, Ami!" The med student dropped her hand and looked at the newly wed star. She had long stopped blushing, any sense of embarrassment had been completely overshadowed by aggravation. "You said he paid for dinner, what did you have to eat?"

"Why is it important what I had to eat, Minako?"

"Well, because it's you! Many guys would expect to get… rewarded for a super nice, expensive meal. But Zoi would know better. So if he invested a lot of money it's because he's looking for a long term return."

Ami blinked, trying to figure out what Minako was talking about. When she did she groaned and buried her face in her hands.

Makoto rolled her eyes, "Mina! How can the Senshi of Love and Beauty be so cynical. Besides, you're a newly wed. Isn't everything supposed to be sweet and wonderful for you right now?"

"It is! But this is Ami's happiness we're talking about!"

Ami snorted at that comment, causing all the girls to turn their attention back to her.

"Ami?" Rei frowned slightly, "Is something wrong?"

"Is something wrong? I'm being interrogated! _This_ is the reason that I didn't want you all to know."

Makoto frowned a bit and sighed, "I'm sorry, Ami. We just… Zoi's been trying to get you to go out with him for a year, and before they came back into our lives, you were so lonely. We were worried about you. And then you kept him at a distance…"

"We got carried away." Usagi smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry."

"We all are." Rei elbowed Minako until she nodded, adding her own apologies.

After a moment Ami nodded and smiled, "I'm sorry to have worried you all."

Minako grinned, "Just one more question." When everyone glared at her she smiled to Ami, "You don't have to answer it if you don't want to."

With a sigh, Ami nodded, "All right."

"Did you have fun?"

Ami grinned, "Yeah… I did."

***

Zoi's own questioning happened during a work out.

"So? I have to admit, I'm torn between wanting to hear that you finally melted the ice surrounding her and the desire to kill you if you hurt her."

Zoi frowned as he dodged a kick that followed Neph's implied question and the admission of feeling conflicted. "Excuse me?"

"Ami… Makoto said you took her out the other night. How did it go?"

"It went great, excuse me." He danced back from any further attack and ran over to his stuff, fishing through his belongings until he found his cell phone. He quickly called Ami, taping his foot as he waited for her to answer.

"Ames? Are you all right."

He frowned as he listened to her answer, "So, you weren't the one who told them?"

He grimaced and sighed. "I think I know who did. I'm sorry. I thought she could be trusted with this. Are you sure you're all right?

"Chibi Usa… because… I don't know. I figured she's from the future and would already know anyway. She and Hotaru helped me pick out your gift."

"I'll talk to her. I'm sorry the girls gave you such a hard time."

"Love you."

He closed the phone with a sigh. The guys were smirking at him, causing him to huff. "I figured she already knew!"

Kunz looked to Mamoru, "You're daughter is studying with Hotaru right now, isn't she?"

Mamoru nodded, "She is… Zoi, I appreciate that you need to talk with her. But remember, she's my daughter. I won't take kindly to you traumatizing her."

Zoi nodded, "I'll remember that."

***

Chibi Usa frowned when Zoi joined her and Hotaru at the table in the crown. "The girls grilled Ami. She sounded pretty upset when I talked to her. I thought I could trust you."

"Uncle Zoi! You can. I promise. I didn't say anything. Not even to Usagi. When she asked what we did, I told her that you took us to the park and for ice cream."

"You didn't tell her that we went shopping, that I bought a necklace for Ami, that I was going to take Ami out?"

Chibi Usa's eyes were big as she shook her head, and he felt bad about seeing the tears that were forming there, but she needed to understand that it was important that she be able to be trusted, to know how much Ami had been hurt. "I didn't! Uncle Zoi, you have to believe me!"

"You're a princess, Chibi Usa. People need to be able to trust you."

The pink haired princess looked across the table at her best friend who was looking at her hands on the table, but not saying anything.

"I can be trusted, Uncle Zoi! Please…"

Zoi frowned and sat beside her, hugging her briefly. "You know I love you, munchkin. This doesn't change that. But it's going to be harder for me trust you."

He looked over to Hotaru and then back to Chibi Usa, "I'm sorry to have upset you. Go back to your studying."

Chibi Usa frowned, "I'm sorry, Uncle Zoi. Are… are we still on for Thursday?"

"Of course we are, munchkin. I told ya, I still love you. And I can't convince anyone else to watch those cartoons with me."

He kissed her forehead and then stood, "I'll see you two later."

When he left Hotaru offered Chibi Usa a smile, "Thanks for covering for me."

"Yeah… whatever…"


	14. Healing

AN: I don't usually do well with song-fics, and I'm not sure that this is the exception that proves the rule. This is horribly sappy, but I think it gives a bit of insight into how far they've come since "My Resolution." Day 14 - Theme - "Forgiven" by Within Temptation. Obviously, I don't own SM or the song!

Also, I feel like I should say that I like Hotaru! I just found the idea of the Senshi of Silence not being able to keep a secret intriguing.

**Healing**

Zoi had been surprised when Ami had given her the key to her apartment. That was definitely unlike her, especially as they'd only been going out for a month, though the blush that graced her cheek as she did so was very much his beloved Nymph. When he had asked her if she was sure, she had nodded, "It took me too long to get her. I'm sure." The smile she gave as she looked up at him, shy but sincere, special just for him had made him feel alive, more than he had since being restored.

Now as he stood outside of her door, he was uncertain. He knew the key meant that he could come over whenever he liked, but he also knew how much his Mercurian enjoyed her privacy. Would she really appreciate him just showing up without any warning?

He shook his head slightly. "That's why she gave you the key." Besides he had brought her a bouquet of larkspur, delphinium, a blue flower that made him think of her.

Decided, Zoi let himself into her apartment, and was immediately struck by the music that he heard. The music was harp, though to his practiced ear he knew it was not written for the harp. It was haunting, but less so than the voice that sang with the music.

He started moving, looking for the source of the music, and when he to Ami's bedroom and saw her playing, singing, he stopped, frozen by the sight, the music, and as he listened, the words she sang.

"I've been so lost since you've gone. Why not me before you? Why did fate deceive me? Everything turned out so wrong. Why did you leave me in silence?"

Zoi felt his heart catch. The hand holding the bouquet of flowers fell by his sand, the bouquet being held limply.

"You gave up the fight; you left me behind." Zoi closed his eyes and started to turn around when he heard the next words, "All that's done's forgiven." He stopped and his head jerked up as he looked up at her again. She'd opened her eyes, saw him standing there and she continued, "You'll always be mine. I know deep inside. All that's done forgiven."


	15. Friendly Advice

AN: Day 15 - Theme - "It is with our passions as it is with fire and water: they are good servants but bad masters." --Aesop

I believe that this is the last day in which you HAVE to follow the offer prompt.

Again, thank you for all the reviews.

**Friendly Advice**

She was the Senshi of Passion. That was a part of who she was. Most of the world saw her as controlled, a refined lady, a mysterious and almost other-worldly priestess. Those closest to her knew the truth, knew that she was passionate, and that sometimes that passion could be brought to the fore. That her desire to protect her princess could lead to angry explosions, that her passion for her friends had lead to her making sure that the guys knew exactly what would happen to them if they hurt the girls.

She lived life with passion. It was her passion for tradition, for helping people that made her such a good priestess. It was her passion for life that made her a good friend, a good lover. It was her passion for the present and the future that made her a good Senshi.

Because she was the Senshi of Passion she could read the passions of others, almost as easily as she could read their auras.

Jade had teased her that she was the only one who had not entered the pool. She had smiled softly and said that it would not be fair, that she had an inside track. When he had asked her to explain, she had only smiled and said that Minako was not the only one whose gifts provided insight.

Rei had not be surprised when Hotaru had told them that Ami was going out with Zoi. Nor had she been surprised when Ami, blushing deeply, had stammered out to the girls that she had given him a copy of her key.

So it was that she now found herself sitting across from Zoi in a local coffee shop – one where she did not think the others would happen upon them.

"You've already told me what will happen if I hurt her, Rei." He drank from his coffee, flavored with French vanilla, the scent reminding him of Ami.

Rei smiled as she sipped her tea, "I'm not worried about you hurting her, Zoi. You're as passionate about our Ami as you are about music, as you are about serving Mamoru I'm not worried that you'll hurt her."

"Then why are we here?"

She smiled a bit and looked into her tea, "Do you know how passionate our Senshi of Wisdom is?"

He blinked a bit at the question, but after a moment he nodded, smiling. "I do. It's a part of everything she does."

Rei smiled, "Passion and Wisdom are partners. Passion without wisdom rages out of control. Wisdom without passion is cold, distant."

Zoi nodded, curious as to where Rei was going. So far, what she said made sense, he just wasn't sure why she was telling him all this.

"Did you ever wonder why I wasn't in the betting pool and Minako was?"

The change of subject caused Zoi to raise an eyebrow. "Um, no. I have to admit that I never really thought about it. Or if I did, I thought that you found it to be demeaning."

Rei chuckled, "I can see why you'd think that, but no. Minako can see who is destined to be together, whether or not couples are heading down the path of love, and if the love has the right foundations. She can tell if a couple will make it or are heading for a break up. I can see passion. I can watch it grow."

Rei could see that she had him hooked, had his attention. "I watched Ami. I knew when her passion for you reached a point she could not deny anymore. I saw it as easy as you can see the blush which stains her cheeks so readily."

"Why are you telling me this? I… I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but I already knew Ami was passionate about us…" He smiled a bit, "About me."

"To say this. Ami's a genius. She's sweet and caring. And you already know just what you'll be pulling down on your head if you hurt her. But she's not used to this… She's been hurt, and she's guarded her heart. She's hidden her passion behind wisdom, but it's there. Neither Ryo nor Taiki brought it to the fore though. This is new to her."

Zoi nodded, "You want me to take it easy?"

Rei grinned and shook her head, "No. I want you to help her embrace her passion. She's Ami. It will never rule her. Just help her not to be afraid of it, to be comfortable with it."

His jaw dropped as he stared at the woman sitting across the table from him. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"I'm saying that I want Ami to be happy, Zoi. You make her happy." The smile that she gave him was the smile of a passionate yet mysterious priestess.


	16. It's Too Darn Hot

AN: Optional Theme Day 1 - Day 16 - Optional Theme - Chill. I touch on it.

Did some plot moving here.

**It's Too Darn Hot**

She would have hated the summer if it was not for swimming. It was hot. It limited her element, but it also allowed her to play in it outside. It was a contradiction with which she had learned to live.

Summer also meant wearing clothing that was far too revealing. Before the group had come to the beach, the girls had gone shopping. She had allowed Minako and Usagi to talk her into buying a bikini, but she had also purchased a couple of tankinis, suits in which she felt much more comfortable.

And yet somehow she was wearing the blue bikini on the beach as they had played volleyball. Minako had declared that couples could not be on the same side. She did not understand why it was that Zoi's volleys had been off – hitting the net or going out of bounds. Nor did she understand why all his serves had been so bad.

"So…" Jade had grinned as he ruffled her hair, "You're quite the secret weapon."

Ami blinked at him and looked to Rei for an explanation. Her friend only bit her lip to keep from laughing. Minako however was positively beaming – despite having been on the losing team. "Ami, I told you that suit was perfect on you! Zoi could not take his eyes off you long enough to focus on the game!"

Blushing, Ami stammered something about going into the water, needing to cool down. Zoi chose not to follow, contenting himself with watching her play among the waves, watching her dance.

"There's nothing quite like that sight is there?"

He glanced for just a moment, seeing Haruka join him. He had not even noticed that Michiru had joined Ami in the waves. He smiled and shook his head, "Oh there is. Seeing her face light up when it snows or watching her dance in the rain."

Haruka chuckled warmly, "You're treating her right, I trust?"

He nodded, "I am."

The protective Senshi of Uranus grinned, accepting the answer. "You're good for her, Zoi."

***

Neph decided to go swimming as well. Makoto had joined Michiru, Rei, and Usagi in another game of beach volleyball. Normally, he would have been content to watch the four of them play, to use the opportunity to leer at the woman he loved. However, the sun was hot and he decided he needed to chill if he did not want to be embarrassed.

Ami had smiled when he joined her and Michiru in the waves. She slowed down her swimming and reached a spot where the sand was under her feet, so she could stand. "Hey, Star Gazer."

"I was wondering if I could ask you for a bit of advice."

"Sure."

Michiru had stopped, but seeing that they two seemed to need to talk, she gave a bit of a wave and resumed swimming in the waves.

"What do you need?"

"I'm a bit concerned that she would rather I did this somewhere else. Just the two of us."

Ami grinned and shook her head, "No. Makoto would want her family near. Haven't the stars told you how this is going to go?"

Neph's smile was rather self-effacing. "I was afraid to."

Ami chuckled, "She'll say yes. You don't have anything to worry about."

"Thanks, Ames." He started to head into the shore, feeling much better – and much more confident about being able to watch Makoto play volleyball without embarrassment.

"Neph?" He had only gotten a couple of strokes away when she called him. "It's going to rain tonight. I expect it will be a storm."

Neph grinned, finding that news to be a good omen. "Thank you."


	17. The Beauty of a Storm

AN: This one is dedicated to Stormy Chef

Day 17 - Theme - Striptease

**The Beauty of a Storm**

Ami had been correct. The rain that night had turned into a full storm. While Ami had come inside at the sound of thunder, Makoto had run out, positively beaming. Neph had watched her for a moment from the picture window, before he decided to move outside to watch her fully.

As he watched, he was amazed, again, at how the storm seemed to dance with her. The lightning struck close enough that, if he had not seen this many times before, he would have been worried for her safety. She danced with such elation and such abandon that there could be little question that the woman he watched was surely the goddess of lightning.

Makoto was vaguely aware that she was being watched, but she ignored that. She laughed as the lightning landed at her feet, feeling the wild electricity as it responded to her. She felt charged and alive as she moved gracefully across the otherwise abandoned sand, reveling in her element.

Neph was mesmerized. There had been a time when he had despised storms, hated the cloud cover they brought, how they had covered the stars. Now as he watched he could almost feel them laugh at him. He smiled and shook his head slightly, wondering how he could have ever begrudged her this simple joy and how he could have ever lived without this sight.

Makoto could not say where the impulse came from, but as she danced, she stripped off the light jacket she had thrown on her shoulders before running into the storm. She danced with it for a moment and then artfully tossed it aside.

Neph blinked at what he was seeing.

As he watched, her dance became sensual, and Neph grinned. He had watched her dance like this before, but always in their bedroom, always just for him. A part of his mind screamed that it was wrong that she could dance like this for anyone other than him, but he ignored that voice. Watching her in the storm, with the lightning illuminating her, coming tantalizingly close to her, he knew that what he was seeing was right, the epitome of right.

She turned so that she was facing him, and Neph realized that she danced not just for the storm but for him. Her hands moved to the buttons on her shirt, slowly, teasingly, she unbuttoned it, letting the shirt slide down her shoulders as she opened it, revealing the small green bikini top. Once it was completely open, she allowed the pink cotton to drop gracefully from her wrists, creating a puddle on the sand.

He could almost hear her laugh as she swayed her hips, dancing to a rhythm that only she could hear, but that he could feel rushing through his blood as he watched her. He watched as she spun, as she rolled her hips, as she leapt. He watched as she took one end of the sarong she was using as a wrap-around skirt in her hand. As she twirled, she unwrapped the skirt, revealing her long perfect legs so she was dressed only in her bikini.

In her hands, the sarong transformed into a scarf, an extension of the dancing woman, alternatively hiding and revealing the curves of the young goddess.

Neph felt like he could watch this forever, but eventually the lightning slowed down, the strikes becoming fewer and further between. A quick glance up revealed a couple of stars winking at him through the holes in the cloud canopy. He turned his eyes back to his beloved as she enjoyed the last few moments of the storm, her dance slowing, and he knew that she knew the song was coming to an end. Summer storms never lasted very long, but Makoto had taken full advantage of every moment, every lightning strike.

When at last the storm ended, leaving only a gentle rain in its wake, Neph moved from the porch to his drenched but beautiful goddess, and wrapped his arms around her, feeling the slight electricity that still excited the air around her, but knowing that he was safe. "You take my breath away."

Makoto laughed and kissed him, and he felt the power that was stored in her as it arched from his lips to hers. After a moment she moved to collect her clothing, but he shook his head and refused to let go of her, "Leave them. Come with me."

He guided his goddess into the beach house, where all the others were waiting for them. Makoto half noted that Ami was wrapped in a terry cloth robe, and wondered if she had changed out of the wet clothing she had been wearing.

She did notice that the couch had been left conspicuously open. With so many gathered, that no one was sitting on the couch, caused her to raise an eyebrow. Before she could pull away from Neph to dry and dress, he was tugging her towards the couch. She blinked confused as Kunz reached over and hit the light switch. With a wave of Rei's hand the candles that had been set up in the living room were lit. Hotaru pressed a button, and music began to swell in the full room. She recognized the voice of Michiru's violin accompanied by Haruka on the piano, but her eyes widened when she realized that there was a second piano and the voice of a harp.

Before she could react to any of that, Neph had her seated on the couch and had taken a knee in front of her.

"I had a whole speech planned. But after your dance, I feel that nothing could adequately express what I feel now. You are truly a goddess, Makoto, the balance of strength and gentleness. I couldn't live without displays of you playing with the lightning. I love you, Makoto. Will you marry me?" He opened a case displaying a ring, not with a diamond but with a sing perfect emerald.

Makoto did not see that Mamoru had gently placed his hand over Usagi's mouth to keep her from squealing. In fact, she had forgotten that her entire family had been gathered to see this. All she saw through her tear clouded eyes was Neph.

"Yes." She wanted to say more, but could not find the words.

Neph stood and pulled Makoto into his arms, kissing her deeply and sliding the ring on her finger.

Only when the kiss was over did Mamoru move his hand from Usagi's mouth, and the future queen emitted a squeal full of joy for her friend, while the other girls moved to congratulate her, the guys and Haruka patting Neph's back. "You'll do, Neph. You'll do." Neph grinned, knowing that that was the full measure of acceptance from the Senshi of Wind.

Makoto smiled to the man she loved from the arms of her friends, and knew that as perfect as this night had been, each day would only get better.


	18. Endless Love

AN: Day 18 - Theme - Holy.

Warning: Political Statement. Deal with it. They deserve this.

Special thanks to Usa-chan (CT) and StormyChef for helping me when I got stuck.

**Endless Love**

Ami shook her head as she sat at the harp, glancing over to Zoi. He – and anyone else who knew her – could easily read the question that was in her eyes. _How did I let them talk me into this?!_ He smiled and mouthed to her, "You'll do great. Relax."

Ami nodded and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and calming herself before she needed to start. It didn't help that she was entirely too self-conscious in the blue halter-top dress that had been chosen for her to wear.

Opening her eyes she glanced over at Rei who was smiling softly as she stood at the alter, and Ami envied the priestess her ceremonial robes.

This ceremony would be simpler than the last, and yet a role had been found for each of them. She allowed herself to smile at that. No one would be left out.

Makoto had been more than content to bake the cake and arrange the flowers, though she'd also been asked to read a poem with Neph. Jade and Kunz were serving as the Ushers, and Minako would be singing both at the ceremony and the reception which would follow.

Chibi Usa was positively beaming that she got to be a part of a second wedding, and Ami was pretty sure that she had let slip something about the others being jealous when she went home. This time, she and Hotaru were serving as Jr. Bridesmaids, but one would stand on each side. The bride had simply laughed and said that some things were more important than tradition.

Ami looked to Rei again and saw her nod. She took a deep breath and raised her arms to position her fingers over the harp strings. Zoi saw her and nodded. He mouthed "One. Two. Three," and they began.

Not being one to play for any other than those closest too her, Ami had to focus on the music to ignore the fact that there were many, many people present, gathered to watch the union of two very special people.

When she saw that Chibi Usa and Hotaru had reached the alter, Chibi Usa going to the Bride's side and Hotaru to the Groom's, she nodded to Zoi and they began the practiced bridge that would take the music from Handel's _Harmonious Blacksmith_ to Bach's _Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring_.

She did not see Mamoru escorting Usagi down the aisle, the future queen wearing a soft pink dress in the same style of Ami's own while Mamoru wore a tux with a pink bowtie and vest, the same shade as Usagi's. Though all the guys were tuxes, from what Zoi had told her when he had escorted her to their instruments – his blue bow tie and vest matching her dress – only Mamoru had been teased about it. However, she knew that they were a stunning vision, and that those who saw it were catching a glimpse of what would come.

She did not see Haruka come down the aisle, carrying herself with pride in her white tuxedo, drawing every eye from the pair of royalty that waited by Rei at the alter. Nor did she see the vision that caused everyone present to gasp, though she had helped Michiru prepare and knew just how beautiful the graceful woman was today.

In her mind's eye, she could Setsuna escorting Michiru down the aisle, as the Neptunian beauty's teal hair was piled artfully upon her head, a few curls allowed to escape to grace her face – she did not hide behind a veil. She could see the beautiful white silk with the soft teal accents that matched her hair as it hugged her bodice and then swept behind her in a soft train. She could imagine the spray of orchids she carried.

Ami did not need to glance over to the alter to know when Michiru reached it, the timing had been worked out perfectly, and she and Zoi allowed the last notes to fade moments after Setsuna and Michiru had stopped.

When Rei stepped forward and began to speak, Ami turned to look, and she knew it was not her imagination that she saw a tear on Haruka's cheek as Rei began.

"In a world where dark and hatred often seem to hold power, love in all it's forms is a light which should be celebrated, honored. Love is holy. We have come to celebrate a love that all of us who have had the privilege to observe know to be beautiful, pure, and holy."

There was no request for Michiru to be given away; instead, without prompting, Setsuna, wearing a deep purple version of the dress all but Rei wore, spoke having taken hold of both Michiru and Haruka's hands, "Love is not defeated by Time or laws or customs. Fortune, fate, destiny bless this union." The Guardian of Time stepped back as she joined the hands of her two closest friends as secretive smiles were shared by those who knew that Setsuna's words were more than symbolic.

Ami glanced over to Zoi and blinked to see that he was not watching the couple but her. She blushed and turned her eyes back to the wedding.


	19. Doomed?

AN: Day 19 - Theme - Impossible Love by *SilenaFenech (can be found at .com/art/Impossible-Love-30392649)

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed! Much Love!

**Doomed?**

He was frowning deeply. "I don't like it."

She raised an eyebrow, an amused expression on her face, "Well, thank you for your candor."

"I'm sorry… it's a beautiful piece. But.. I…" He shrugged a bit.

"But you don't like it."

He grimaced, feeling bad for his critique, though he knew that the painter could easily handle his opinion. Any other artist and he would have had no problem with expressing his distaste, especially since it was entirely a personal opinion. Objectively, he knew that the painting was stunning.

"It's all right. Everyone has their own tastes."

They stood in silence for a moment before she turned to look at him, "I'm curious. Why don't you like it?"

He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, grimacing slightly as he tangled the curls and pulled his hand down to his side. "They seem… doomed."

She raised an eyebrow. "She's a mermaid and he's a winged angel. Obviously, they're doomed."

He frowned and shook his head, "I don't think so."

"Oh! Zoi!" She laughed and shook her head, "You really are a peacock, aren't you?"

He blinked and turned to look at her, "Um… huh?" It was very rare that Zoi found himself at a loss for words, but he had been thrown off by her sudden question. That and he could not remember any of the Outers ever having used any of the guys' nicknames previously.

"That's not you and Ami, Zoi. But you're right, that couple is not doomed. This is a painting of hope."

"I didn't think they…"

"There you are, Mermaid." Zoi blinked as Haruka joined him and Michiru in the gallery, wrapping her arms around her newly-wed wife's waist.

"Heyla, Angel." She leaned back and kissed her softly before smiling over to Zoi.

The youngest Shitennou blinked, and Michiru thought to herself that Ami was rubbing off on him some as his cheeks colored. "You know. I change my mind. I think I like it."


	20. A Taste of Perfection

AN: Day 20 - Theme - Mango

As requested - Mina and Kunzite.

**A Taste of Perfection**

The kitchen was a mess. Actually, the kitchen was a disaster. The entire apartment smelled of spices. While that could be a pleasant smell, this was too much, too strong, and definitely the wrong combination of spices.

The smell was the first thing that he noticed when he entered their apartment. It was pretty hard not to notice it. In fact he wondered that he did not notice it before he entered the apartment.

The next thing he noticed was that Mina was sitting at the table, her elbows on the table and her face in her hands. It was only a fraction of a second before he realized that his goddesss was crying. As he moved to gather her into his arms, not even needing to know what was wrong before Kunz was in motion to comfort her, he noticed that there were pieces of food in her sun-golden hair and smears on her hands and clothes. He assumed that her face was similar though she had it well hidden in her hands.

"Sunbeam?" He pulled her up so that she was standing and her hands were no longer covering her face – which was as dirty as he expected it to be – and then pulled her against his chest. The last thing that Kunz was worried about was ruining his shirt, not when Minako needed him.

He blinked when she pushed away weakly. However, he knew her. He knew that if she was upset with him, the push would have been firmer, he would not still be holding her if she wanted away from him. He held her tighter and began to stroke her hair, not worrying about the debris which littered it, ignoring the gunk that he was spreading through her hair and onto his hand. "Mina, love, what's wrong?"

Mina sniffled and stopped resisting, burying her face in his shirt and allowing herself to sob. There had been a time when she would not have allowed him to see her like this, not able to trust him with anything other than her bubbly self or her serious warrior self. He grinned a bit as she cried against him.

It was a few moments before she spoke, and Kunz had looked past the sobbing goddess in his arms to the kitchen beyond. He had an idea of what had happened – the overwhelming smell of the spices, his disheveled wife, and the kitchen it would require a cleaning crew to straighten all told the same story.

He gently pushed her away from him, just a bit then leaned down and kissed her soundly.

Minako stopped crying and after a moment, she was returning the kiss.

When they broke apart he smiled, "You made dinner."

She sniffled, "I _tried_ to make dinner. I failed miserably. I… I wanted to make you something special. But no one told me that garbanzo beans smell like dog food and a clove of garlic is just one little section not the whole thing. And I couldn't get the falafel to form the right shape and then I burnt them. And I followed the directions that Makoto gave me, but the lamb is ruined…"

Kunz laid a finger of her lips. "Love, I appreciate that you did all this. It means a lot to me that you would try to cook for me."

"I shouldn't have to try to cook for you! A wife is supposed to make dinner for her husband when he comes home from work, and I want to be a good wife!"

Kunz laughed, "Minako! First, you work too, so there is no need for you to feel like you have to come home and cook and clean. I'm quite content with cooking or ordering out. Second, you are a good wife. For me, you are the perfect wife." He gently stroked her cheek. "If I wanted a wife who could cook, I'd've gone after Makoto." At her huff of indignation, he grinned as he looked down at her, "I wanted and still want you. I don't care that you can't cook."

"But it was more than I wanted to cook for you! I wanted to make a Mediterranean meal for you, something special…"

"And I appreciate that." His smile was sincere and caused her to smile a bit at him.

"I worked so hard. It was going to be perfect."

"It is perfect, Mina."

She snorted, "No, it's not."

"Yes, it is. Come on, let's clean up and we'll go out to eat."

She sniffled and nodded, "All right… but um… one thing did come out right. Have that first. Please?"

Kunz wisely kept the skepticism he felt to himself and nodded, "Of course, Mina."

She grinned and moved from him into the kitchen. He blinked as she presented him with a glass of an orange-ish colored thick liquid. "Go ahead! Drink it!"

He took it from her and took a drink. He smiled to her, his words sincere and honest, and he tried to keep the surprise from his voice, "This is really good, Sunbeam. What is it?"

At his words, she brightened, and he smiled to see that her shine, her glow was back. "It's mango juice!"


	21. My Muse

AN: Day 21 - Theme - Pledge. Apparently I'm trying to stick to the themes even on these optional days.

**My Muse**

The first thing she noticed when she woke up was that the warmth was missing, the warmth he provided as he held her. She frowned and opened her eyes and two more pieces of data presented themselves to her still mostly asleep mind. The first was that they had not simply disentangled themselves in sleep – she was alone in the king-sized bed. The second was that it was still dark outside. She frowned as rolled over to look at the alarm clock. It read 4:30.

She frowned and began to feel the fog of sleep lifting more from her mind. As it did, one final datum presented itself, and at the very least, Ami knew where her lover was and what he was doing. She wondered how she had missed the sound of the piano before, but she knew that she was just now reaching a true waking state.

Getting out of the bed, Ami followed the sound of the music and smiled a bit as she watched Zoi playing the piano. He was wearing just his boxer shorts and seemed completely focused on the music he was playing. Ami found herself smiling, swept away in his playing, in the beauty that was Zoi.

It took her a moment before she realized that she had not heard this piece before. That was not entirely out of the ordinary. Zoi was constantly finding new pieces, but there was something about the music that he was playing, about the score which sat on the piano which told her that this was not some new piece he had found.

Her smile grew as she realized what it was she was witnessing. Zoi was composing. She had heard his compositions before, had been moved by what he could express through music, but he had never let her into the process of composition itself. Ami found herself holding her breath, afraid that he would realize she was there and stop, wanting to protect his creative process from intrusion – even hers.

Unfortunately, the music did indeed stop, and Ami knew that it was not because he'd reached the end. She saw him sigh and try a couple of different notes, shaking his head as he rejected them. After a moment he closed his eyes, and she could clearly see the frustration as he ran his fingers into his curls, tangling them, and Ami had to stifle a laugh.

He looked up and blushed guiltily. However, there was something about the way he was looking at her that kept her from explaining, from apologizing. In fact, the way he was looking at her made her blush more.

Any sense of frustration that Zoi felt at not being able to figure out what came next disappeared when he looked up and saw Ami standing in the door way, watching him, wearing only his shirt and that open. He could tell from the look on her face when he saw her that she thought he'd be upset about her seeing him compose, and he vaguely realized that was his fault, he had never really shared this with her, but all he could see really was the woman he loved, the woman who had finally let him in, standing in the dim light wearing his shirt and watching him.

Before he could act on his first instinct, which involved losing both his boxer shorts and the shirt she was wearing, he blinked and tilted his head slightly, as if he was hearing something.

He smiled to her and put his fingers back over the keys. He repeated the last phrase she had heard, but this time he continued forward, never taking his eyes off of her as he did so.

Ami blinked in confusion, but as she watched him resume playing she found herself walking towards him.

Zoi's grin grew as she approached, the music pouring forth from his fingers, and she leaned against the piano when she reached it, their eyes never breaking from each other until he reached the end, and this time Ami recognized it as the true end.

For a moment, while the last notes hung in the air, they simply looked at each other. Zoi leaned over and kissed her softly, before hurriedly jotting down the notes he'd just played, not wanting to lose it.

When he finished, he held out his arm to invite Ami to join him on the piano bench. As she did she saw the name of the song, "My pledge."


	22. Forget Me Not

AN: Day 22 - Theme - Forget Me Nots (yes, I know the title's not creative).

**Forget Me Not**

She liked flowers. Neph shook his head as he revised that thought. She did not "like" flowers. She loved flowers. She loved flowers and plants the same way she loved lightning. She loved gardening the way she loved gardening. His Makoto did not like flowers; she loved flowers.

Unfortunately, Neph felt out of his depth every time he walked into a florist. The problem was that to some degree all the flowers looked the same to same. Oh, he knew that the shapes were different, and the colors were different, but ultimately flowers tended to be a bit of bright color on top of green.

He knew that there was a whole language of flowers, but he did not understand what they meant. He knew that girls typically melted for roses, particularly red long-stem roses, but he was pretty sure that Makoto would find that to lack imagination. Oh, sure, she'd appreciate that he thought enough to get her flowers, and she would not comment on the fact that he could not think further than flowers, but she would think it, and he would know she was thinking it.

Neph shook his head and ended that train of thought before he gave himself a headache. Makoto was a gracious woman, but he wanted to do something truly special for her. That meant that he needed to put some real thought into what he brought her.

He sighed as he walked through the florist, looking at the different flowers. He glanced over to the refrigerated section. It would be so simple to go pick out some long stem roses, but he shook his head and mumbled to himself, "No… no taking the easy way out." He half thought that proposing had been easier than this.

He wound up carefully selecting individual flowers to try to make bouquet. He didn't know what specific flowers meant. He didn't know what flowers a florist would put together for aesthetic reasons – and he found himself wishing he had brought Zoi along because he would know all those things. Instead, he just selected flowers that made him think of Makoto or that he thought she would like.

When he was happy with the bouquet that he had, he went to have them wrapped and cut together. As he paid for them, the florist who rung them up smiled at him, "Special occasion?"

Neph shook his head, "No, just Tuesday."

***

Makoto smiled as Neph presented her the bouquet. "It's beautiful." She kissed him before taking it into the kitchen to put it in a vase.

Neph came behind her and put his arms around her, "You like it?"

"I do." She smiled and leaned back into him.

"I picked the flowers out myself, put the bouquet together."

"Oh… I like them. You did well."

"I know there's that whole language of flowers…"

Makoto frowned and turned to face him with a raised eyebrow, "You didn't use that to make this did you? I mean, it's not some confusing message is it?"

Neph shook his head, "No… that's what I was going to say, I didn't pick them knowing that."

She smiled again, though he could not figure out what had made her frown to start with. "Good."

"Mako? Why?"

Makoto chuckled and pointed to the "Forget-me-nots." "They're associated with tragic love. I'm kind of hoping we won't be tragic this time through."

"Oh…" He grinned and held her tightly against him, kissing her soundly. The flowers weren't discussed for the rest of the night, as he decided to spend the night reassuring her.


	23. The Perfect Day

AN: This one had me stuck for a while. Day 23 - Theme - Caress

**The Perfect Day**

Ami laughed as they entered his apartment. She was not drunk, but she was definitely feeling high, not on drugs – but on life itself.

The day had been perfect.

The girls had taken her shopping, and she had narrowly missed being ambushed in the lingerie shop. She had not succeeded in escaping some clothing that she was not sure she would ever actually wear – not even just for Zoi. Nor had she escaped from a pair of heels that she knew she would break her ankles in if she tried to wear them.

Then they had gone to lunch. All of the girls had been there, and as much as Ami loved the guys, it was nice to have some girl time again, to be just them. Fortunately, Chibi Usa and Hotaru were present, so there had been a minimum of blush inducing conversation, even if Rei had given her a look that made her specifically uncomfortable.

Then it had been Inners time again, as Minako and Usagi dragged Ami off to get ready for the evening. Makoto and Rei accompanied them to her apartment for morale, knowing that Ami would need both the support and people to talk Usagi and Minako down from whatever skimpy outfit they tried to get her into (though they had not been successful in talking them down from making her buy that dress in the first place).

The best part of the day had been the dinner though. The entire group had gotten dressed up – and Ami did wind up in the blue cocktail dress, but she had convinced them to allow her to wear a white wrap with it, and Zoi had been more than happy to support her on the ridiculous heels. She decided that the look he gave her when the guys showed up, was worth any discomfort she felt.

Dinner had been wonderful. The food was good, the music was nice – soft and not invasive, and the bit of port with the dark chocolate torte was amazing. More than any of that, the conversation had been flowing – ranging from light to serious, and everyone had a good time, which was ultimately all Ami had asked.

She laughed as she kicked off the ridiculous heels and finally let go of the wrap which was protecting her sense of modesty.

"Happy, Nymph?"

Ami nodded and moved to wrap her arms around Zoi, leaning against his chest.

"The day's not over yet."

Ami blinked as she looked up to him. "It's not?"

"No… it's not." He leaned down and planted a kiss soundly on her lips, eliciting a squeal from her.

He held her and the kiss for a moment and then gently pushed her away. It took everything he had not to laugh at her as she blinked up at him in confusion. He caught her hand before she could feel rejected, and gently lead her into the bedroom.

Ami blinked. She looked around the room and blinked. There were white roses and blue delphinium in vases all over the room, white rose petals spread over the sheets which were a deep blue, and she guessed, silk.

As she looked over the room, he picked up one stalk of delphinium, caressing her cheek with the soft blue petals. "Happy Birthday, Ami."


	24. Winning the Battle

AN: Day 24 - Theme - Surrender

**Winning the Battle**

"You've got to be kidding me! You can't get two teenaged girls to stop playing a game and do their homework?"

"If you think you can do better, be my guest." Zoi shrugged as he plopped down on the couch as Jade rolled his eyes and went into the room from which the loud music was emanating. "Good luck!"

"It's obvious that you're the Uncle that spoils all the kids in the future, Zoi." Neph raised his hands before the younger man could protest. "Someone has to do that, and I doubt you spoil any of your own children, but if Usa is any indication then you're the spoiling uncle."

He sighed as he leaned back on the couch, "Good thing the future's not set in stone. I wonder if Ami's completely opposed to corporal punishment?"

Kunz raised an eyebrow, "That's a bit barbaric, isn't it?"

"Well since I don't exude authority, my attempt at intimidating is apparently funny."

Neph could not help it, he let out the guffaw of laughter. When he finished and saw how much Zoi was scowling at him, he shrugged, "You're too pretty to pull off intimidating, Zoi. You should try another tactic."

"Hmph!"

Before Neph and Kunz could tease Zoi further, Jade came out of the room with the music still blaring.

"If I stay in there, I'm going to hurt them." He answered the unspoken question the three other men turned on him. "I don't want to have to explain to Mamoru that I hit his future daughter, and I don't need Rei that angry…"

He sighed and slumped beside Zoi on the couch. "My apologies. I had no idea what you were up against."

Neph shrugged and headed into the room. The other men were quiet, deciding that the situation was apparently more serious than any of them had considered before. When the music stopped, and Kunz allowed himself a small smile, satisfied that Neph had taken care of the situation and the girls would now be doing their homework.

The Second of the Shitennou came out of the room, smirking. He looked over to the younger two with a smile of triumph. "You just need to know how to talk to them." He held up the power strip. "Or how to go beyond talking."

Before anyone could congratulate him though, the music started once again.

Zoi snorted, "Apparently, they had a back up."

Jade sighed, "How do Haruka and Michiru do this? We're four men and we can't get two teenaged girls to do their homework? How are we supposed to help run the world?!"

Kunz shook his head and headed into the room. He was only in there a moment before Chibi Usa came out sheepishly with her school books and moved over to the kitchen table to start on her homework.

Kunz emerged from the room, his arms crossed.

Zoi got up and ran to peek into the room, and there, amidst all the lamps was Hotaru, quietly doing her homework. He looked back at the two and then to Kunz with new found respect.

"Usa? What exactly did Kunz say?"

The Senshi from the future looked up, "Uncle Kunz didn't say anything, Uncle Neph. He just raised an eyebrow and looked at us. We had to surrender."

Jade groaned, Neph clenched his jaw, Kunz smirked, and Zoi sighed, "He raised an eyebrow… You know what, I think I'm ok with the being the Uncle who spoils if he's so effective at discipline."


	25. The Gift of Life

AN: Slightly Experimental. I'm evil. I love you all.

Day 25 - Theme - Sacrifice

**The Gift of Life**

"I don't know, Michiru… that's kind of big." He shook his head, finding himself at a loss.

"We know it is. And if you're not comfortable with it, we understand. The last thing we want to do is come between the two of you."

"Why him?"

Haruka smiled, her arm around her wife's waist. "Because he's the best choice, the right choice. We believe that he'd be the best one for this."

"I promise you, we did not reach this decision lightly. We thought about what it was that we wanted, what we needed. But we didn't just think about what it was that we needed. We thought about all of you. The last thing we want is to do anything that would cause any of you girls pain."

She nodded, "I can see that. Ami and Zoi's relationship is too new."

Michiru nodded, smiling slightly, "And Ami is too insecure. We couldn't ask this of her, not right now anyway."

"And the others don't work because…?" His voice was calm, but it was clear that he wanted an answer.

"Don't make us do this. We're asking you to trust that we have thought this out. That you're the right choice." There was a hardness in Haruka's voice. The last thing she wanted to have to do was lay out every minutiae of the decision making process.

"This is a big sacrifice."

Michiru's voice was soft, "We know. Please, don't feel like you have to say yes. We would completely understand if this is something you don't want to do, or something that you can't do right now."

The pair looked at each other and she nodded slightly, to which he responded with a smile and a squeeze of her hand.

"We'll do it. On one condition. I don't want to not be involved, but I want to be Uncle, just like the other guys. The two of you will be the child's parents. We can be an active aunt and uncle, and you don't have to hide it from the kid. But I want to be treated like the others."

Haruka let out a sigh of relief, and Michiru's smile lit up the room. "Thank you. You don't know how much this means to us."


	26. Thank you

AN: So I wrote 24 and 25 and then realized I'd screwed myself over for 26.

Day 26 - Theme - Father Figure

**Thank You**

Jade looked over to the girls who were frantically working on plans for the surprise party. He shook his head and looked back to the other guys, who were in charge of the grilling and purchasing the present.

"I'm not sure I entirely get this. From Usagi, yes, but… all five of them? And even the Outers seem to be taking this very seriously."

"I'm just surprised that Makoto was willing to actually give up part of the cooking for this."

Zoi raised an eyebrow, "We're grilling meat. We're men. It shouldn't be that difficult."

Kunz glared at Jade before he could make the comment that all of them knew was coming. Instead he just huffed and muttered, "You're no fun."

Before they could say anything else, Rei came over to the group of men and handed Kunz a piece of paper. "Can you make everything out on that?"

Kunz looked over it and nodded, "You want a helium tank?"

Rei nodded, "Yes."

Jade blinked and shook his head, "Why?"

The Senshi of Fire turned towards her fiancé with a raised eyebrow, and Jade wondered if the fact that he found that quite as effective on her as on Kunz meant that he was whipped. "To inflate the balloons."

Zoi and Neph snickered as Rei answered with, what could have only been, the obvious answer.

Jade sighed, "Rei, how many balloons are we going to have? Wouldn't it be easier to just… have them blown up at the store?"

"200."

All them just looked at her, "200?"

"Rei? Who is going to be blowing up the balloons?"

Rei's smile was enough to cause the men to groan as she returned to the planning activities with the other women.

"200 balloons. Kunz, this is insanity. We have to put an end to this."

The silver haired man shook his head, "I'm not stupid, Neph. That's one fight that I'm not going to engage."

Zoi whimpered as Mamoru showed up with the pizzas. The guys moved to help him set them out.

"How's it going?"

"They want us to blow up 200 balloons. I'm half surprised they're not renting a pony."

Mamoru laughed, "I don't think Kenji would necessarily appreciate a pony at his surprise party. Even Small Lady's a bit old for that."

"They're certainly going all out. I mean, I realize that he's turning fifty, but…" Zoi shook his head, "isn't this a bit much?"

Mamoru shook his head, chuckling, "Not if you understand that Kenji became like a father to all of them. Think about it… Minako's the only one other than Usagi whose father was really in her life, and even then… he wasn't a bad father, but he wasn't very involved. It was little things at first, but by the time they graduated from high school, he had become like a father to all of them."

The other men nodded and Kunz smiled slightly, "Then 200 balloons is a small thank you."

Mamoru smiled as he looked over to the young women. He looked back to his men and smiled before calling the girls over to take a break and eat, "Thank you."


	27. Trading

AN: Counterpart. Struggled a lot with this theme. Kind of got it in two ways. Day 27 - Theme - Counterpart

**Trading**

"Oooh, are you sure that's what you wanted to do?"

Neph huffed and looked up at Zoi, "Can't you go bother Makoto in the kitchen?"

Zoi laughed and shook his head, "This is so much more fun though."

Ami moved her piece, her knight taking it's white counterpart. "Zoi, be nice." She glanced up from the chess board and smiled to her lover. "Let him be."

"I was just trying to help." He grinned in a mischievous manner that Ami had long come to recognize. She mouthed again, "Be nice," before turning her attention back to the wooden armies arrayed on the board.

He watched for a few more moves, amused at how careful Neph was in making decisions compared to Ami's quick assessment and moves. Of course, he knew that the game was not exactly fair. Ami was a natural at chess, and while Neph was able to beat Zoi about a third of the time, Zoi was less successful than that against Ami.

When it became clear to Zoi that she would defeat him within three turns, he patted the taller man on the head and ducked into the kitchen.

"Need a hand?"

Makoto looked up from what she was doing and grinned, "Get bored or did they run you off?"

Zoi chuckled, "Nah, I just thought that since Neph was borrowing Ami, I'd return the favor."

"Mm-hmm. Potatoes…"

Zoi blinked, "Huh?"

She smirked at him and gestured towards the bag of red potatoes. "You asked if I could use help. Cut up the potatoes."

"Oh… how do you want them?" He blushed slightly realizing that he should have realized what she meant.

"I'm going to roasting them with garlic and rosemary."

"So quartered?"

Makoto grinned, "You might not be as helpless in the kitchen as I thought. I may have to trade with Ami more often before group dinners. After you get those done, we'll see how you are at hollandaise sauce."


	28. A Riddle

AN: dundundun. Day 28 - Theme - "Ashes and Wine". I didn't actually like the song or use it except for the title.

**A Riddle**

She tended to remember her dreams, even when they were vague and unclear, she tended to remember them. Sometimes they were portents, but even she had dreams that were just dreams. Over time, she'd learn to recognize the difference.

Unfortunately, dreams were never as clear as fire readings. Usually, Rei could decipher what the fire told her. It was not always easy by any means, but the meaning of readings did not elude her the way dreams often did.

The real difficulty with some dreams could be discerning whether they were meant as a warning or a hopeful promise, especially when they were as vague as last nights. She remembered two seemingly unrelated images.

So she had spent the entirety of the day trying to figure out what the mysterious message could possible have been. The fire had not been remotely helpful, though it was not the first time the fire had been silent.

When Jade arrived at the temple he found Rei sitting at the table, a glass of wine and a pile of ashes in front of her.

"Firebird?"

Rei looked up and smiled, "Evening, Soul-boy. Good day?"

"Better than yours from the look of it… something we need to talk about?"

She sighed and shook her head, getting up from where she sat to move over to him. Wrapping her arms around him, she kissed him soundly before dispelling his concerns, "Just trying to figure out a puzzle."

"By… burning things and drinking?"

"Idiot… those are ashes from the sacred fire and I've not touched the wine."

"Ooook. What's the puzzle then?"

She slipped out of his hold and gestured to the table, "The ashes and the wine are. Images from a dream."

Jade frowned a bit, "Should I be concerned?"

"I don't know!" Jade took a step back realizing that frustration was turning into anger. "It was a dream! That's all there was though. I don't know…" She growled, "I don't know anything else except that it was a portent. Good or ill? Personal or something more. I don't know!"

He sighed as he looked at the items on the table. "They seem to conflict…"

Rei nodded, "Ashes are the result of destruction, and wine is for celebration. But ashes can also be from purification, or from a fire used for life – cooking, warmth. I just don't know, Jade."

As the anger seemed to drain back out of the priestess, Jade once again gathered her into his arms. "Whatever it is, we'll face it together."

Rei smiled up at him and nodded. "Yes, we will."

Jade grinned, "So… since you have the wine poured anyway? Perhaps we should have a glass."

"Actually… I can't…"


	29. The Value of Pain

AN: Very different from what I normally do.

Day 29 - Theme - "Evil is impotent and has no power but that which we let it extort from us." - Ayn Rand

**The Value of Pain**

It was the worst day of the year. For most people, it was simply another day. It was not a solstice or an equinox. There was nothing in the calendar that marked the day as any different from any other day. This year, it was just a Thursday.

Five men knew what the day was. They remembered the macabre holiday from the Dark Kingdom, though Mamoru had only been subjected to the festivities once. That was how they knew where the day fell on Gregorian calendar.

The women had only learned of the day in the past couple of years. Mamoru had managed to block the memory and only remembered when the Shitennou returned to him. Even then, the day did not affect him the same way it affected his men.

Minako had hoped that this year would be different. They were married now, and she had hoped that would be enough to change how he commemorated it. She had cleared her schedule so that they could do whatever he wanted. It was hard for her to not feel personally rejected when what he wanted to do was to spend the day alone, sitting in the darkness, punishing himself.

Makoto knew that Neph would need time away from her. She did not like it, but she accepted it. She let him sleep through the daylight hours, disturbing him just to bring him food, knowing that he might not – probably would not – touch it. When the sun went down, she had dinner for him and then gave him the space to go talk to the stars, hoping that they could provide the comfort that she could not.

Rei understood the need for occasional solitude. She understood that there were things that could not be shared. She knew that she could not fully understand what it had meant to be enthralled to Beryl and to Chaos. Even when Galaxia had stolen their star seeds and their bodies had been used as puppets, it was not them. The Shitennou could not make the same claim. So she left the temple, finding something else to do, having let Jade know that should he needed her she would be available.

Ami did not fully know what to expect. She had still been avoiding Zoi this time last year. She had assumed from talking to the other girls, that she might should make other plans, give him the space that he would need. So she was surprised when he asked her to stay over the night before. She was more surprised when she woke up to find Zoi holding tightly to her. He did not talk about it through the whole day, but she had never seen him this clingy, but she was willing to do what it took to get him through the day.

Kunz knew that Minako was hurting, and he had tried to find the energy to let her help him through the day. However, when he looked at her he saw the wound in her gut from his sword, felt the tightening of her chain around his throat as she used the last of her energy to kill her murderer. He had chocked out an apology and retreated. Tears did not run down his cheeks, but he cried silently, trying to make penance crimes for which everyone else had forgiven him, for sins he had accepted forgiveness regarding, but which he could not forget.

Neph had accepted that he was forgiven. He knew the level of responsibility he had for what he had done, for how he had been used. He had learned how to forgive himself. The problem was that he was not entirely sure that he could trust himself. He was afraid that he was still susceptible. So he slept through the day, when the stars would be more difficult to ear, not wanting to face the day. Then when the sun set and the stars came out, he went to the roof, needing the reassurance that the past would not repeat itself.

Jade wandered around the grounds of the temple. He did not speak, but he meandered aimlessly, absorbing the promise that the temple represented, the spiritual wholeness. He watched the wind play with the branches of the leafless trees. He offered prayers for forgiveness, for the souls of his of victims to find peace, for thankfulness that he and his comrades had received a second chance. When Rei returned that night, he allowed her to gather him into his arms, to accept this gesture of assurance that he was forgiven, that he would always carry the past, but that it would not control him.

Zoi needed Ami's presence. He needed to know that she could forgive him, that she could wake up beside in the morning without a moment of panic. He needed to be assured that she could see him at his worst, his moment of deepest pain, his neediest, and that she would be there for him. Everyone thought that Ami was the one who struggled with insecurities, but there were times that he did too. He had played the piano for her, relaxed as she ran her fingers through his hair. He had accepted the surprising warmth from the Senshi of Ice. As he held her that night, as they fell asleep, he knew that he would be all right, that they would be all right.

It was the worst day of the year. It marked the day that the Moon Kingdom and the Silver Alliance had fallen to Beryl. For those who had been instrumental in its destruction, it was a day of darkness, a day to remember in order to protect the future. It was on this day once a year that four men once again strengthened their resolve that evil would never again have power over them.


	30. Wrapped around Her Little Finger

AN: Wow, just one more! Hopefully I'll get it written tomorrow and actually have done this in one month!

Day 30 - Theme - Bubble Gum. Thanks to JenBunny for helping me figure out how to use the theme.

**Wrapped around Her Little Finger**

"Please, Puu? Just a little bit longer?

Setsuna sighed slightly as she looked to the pink-haired teenager. In some ways the girl reminded the Senshi of Time of her mother at that age: so care-free that she actually seemed selfish, and yet there were few people as compassionate as the bubble blowing teen.

"Small Lady, there's not much time left. If we're not careful, there could be consequences…"

Chibi Usa choked on her bubble gum for a moment, and Setsuna pounded her back to free the lodged piece of gum, which the teen spit out into the wrapper. "I'm not sure I wanted to know that, Puu."

Setsuna smiled mysteriously and shrugged. "You knew why this was your last chance, Small Lady."

"I know, but I didn't want to know… exactly when!"

Kunz laughed catching the end of conversation as he and Zoi brought the drinks over to the table. "Surely at this age you were already aware of how your parents created you, Princess."

Chibi Usa smiled. When anyone other than her father or Uncle Kunz called her "Princess" it sounded stiff and formal. From them it was simply a term of affection. "Mm-hmm!" She winked, "a stork dropped me off in Elysion and they picked me up."

Zoi laughed, "In denial much, Munchkin?" He set her shake down in front of her and ruffled her hair before taking his own seat.

"Uncle Zoi! No fair! I'm not allowed to muss your hair."

"Well, your hair is pulled into a tight odangos and ponytails. My hair actually gets mussed." He winked at her as he took a drink from his coffee.

She laughed, though it turned to a sigh as she her attention back to Setsuna. "Please, let me stay just a little bit longer. Just until New Years? Please?"

This time Zoi was the one who choked. "Munchkin?"

Chibi Usa shrugged slightly, though there was a knowing smile in her eyes that caused him to blink and for panic to bubble up inside of him.

Setsuna smiled, "All right, but you leave on New Year's Day, no arguing. Deal?"

She nodded as she took a sip from her shake, trying to ignore the pain that she was feeling from the lack of trust her uncle clearly still had in her.

Kunz raised an eyebrow, but did not say anything. Whatever remaining issues were between the two, he would leave between them.

However, the adolescent was not content to let it go. "It wasn't me!"

Setsuna hid her smirk behind taking a sip of her tea.

"I didn't say anything, Munchkin…"

"You didn't have to! I can't stand that you cannot trust me. I promise. I've not told anything that I know. Puu? Please, tell him."

"Actually, she's telling the truth. It wasn't her."

Zoi frowned, "But… the only other one who knew was Hotaru…"

Setsuna nodded, "I know.""

The youngest Shitennou did not have to look at his leader to know that he was wearing a small laughing smirk. "Munchkin… I'm sorry. I should not have assumed."

She smiled, "It's ok! I forgive you." She put her shake down and moved to hug him in a hug that was as crushing as her mother's – a surprising feat from either given their size.

"Thank you." He kissed her forehead and she beamed up at him.

"Princess? What else do you know."

The pink-haired one winked at him and said, "Nothing, Uncle Kunz. Nothing at all."


	31. A Good Year

AN: This is it folks - at least for this set. Day 31 - Theme - Coronation.

Thank you to all readers and reviewers! You've helped make this wonderfully fun! A special thank you to my wonderful friends at CR! I love you guys!

**A Good Year**

Ami leaned her head against Zoi's shoulder as Michiru and Haruka treated everyone to a duet, the violin and piano complimenting each nicely. She looked around the room, smiling as she took in all of her friends, gathered together to celebrate the end of one year and the beginning of the next.

For the first time she could remember, Ami was truly excited about the festivities which commemorated the changing of the year.

Rei caught her eye as the smaller woman glanced over at her and smiled. One hand rested on her stomach – though any "baby bump" was still in her imagination. Jade was behind her, holding his fiancé and their unborn child closely, his hand occasionally slipping down to caress the womb. There was no question that pregnancy was quite becoming on the Senshi of Passion.

Minako was sitting on Kunz's lap, her forehead touching his head. Most striking about the couple's position was that Kunz was smiling. The man who could be so difficult to read, who kept his emotions close was smiling. She heard a chuckle and glanced up at Zoi, seeing that he had followed her eyes. "Marriage has been good for him."

"For both of them." Ami had noticed that Minako had been better able to strike the balance between serious leader and fun loving singer since they'd gotten married. She was still Minako, but she no longer seemed like two different people.

The music came to a close and everyone applauded whole heartedly. Haruka rose and moved to Michiru, taking her hand and lifting her to her feet as they accepted the applause, Michiru dipping into a curtsey while Haruka bowed gracefully.

When the applause died down, Rei stood, dragging Jade up with her as she did so. "Our turn."

"Rei…"

"Come on, Jade. You know the rules. Everyone takes a turn." Mamoru smirked a bit, his arm around Usagi's waist. "We can argue it again this year, but you're eventually going to have to go."

Jade grumbled and shot his prince a look that clearly communicated that he felt betrayed. Unfortunately, the only answer he got was Usagi giggling.

Jade reluctantly picked up the guitar. Rei kissed his cheek and he rolled his eyes, "The things I do for you."

"You love it, and you know it."

Ami chuckled as she snuggled closer to Zoi. They went through this every year, and Ami found it comforting.

Jade had tuned the guitar earlier in the evening and now he began to strum, providing the accompaniment for Rei. The song she sang was appropriate for the New Year, being focused on hope.

Ami glanced over to Makoto who was sitting on the floor in front of Neph, her head leaned back Neph was running his fingers through her hair which she had left down for the evening. Her eyes were closed, and it was clear to Ami that her friend who had been lonely for so long was in heaven right now. She glanced up at Zoi before looking back to Makoto, thinking that she could relate.

With a sigh of contentment, Ami closed her eyes, letting the words that Rei was singing wash over her.

As the song came to an end, she opened her eyes and gladly joined in the applause.

"Our turn! Our turn!" Chibi Usa pulled a laughing Hotaru onto the make-shift stage with her.

"Well, since I have to go back tomorrow, and I promised Puu that I would not argue about it, I won't get to be here for the start of Crystal Tokyo. And there's a lot of stuff I wanted to see that I have to miss." She glanced over to her future parents. "Or you two could wait? I don't mind! Really."

Usagi blushed as Mamoru's stern voice rang out, "Usa…"

"Kidding!" Everyone laughed as Usagi hid her face against Mamoru's chest.

"Hey, Book Worm. I think Usagi's got you beat on blushing for the evening. Zoi, you're not doing your job, guy."

"Hush, Star Gazer."

Zoi threw a throw pillow at Neph's head, causing more laughter.

"Anyway, since I don't get to be there and I've heard so many stories about it. I wanted to sing a song from the coronation. Puu said it was ok and wouldn't change anything."

Everyone glanced over to Setsuna to get confirmation on that. Chibi Usa huffed as Setsuna nodded with a chuckle. "It's fine."

Minako gasped while the other girls started giggling uncontrollably as Chibi Usa and Hotaru proceeded to sing "C'est la Vie."

Before the song was half way over, all of the Inners had joined the teenagers on the stage and were singing with them.

When the song ended, there were giggles and hugs as everyone went back to sit in the living room.

Before Ami could sit, Zoi stood, "I guess it's our turn." He held his hand out to her, smiling as she blushed.

"Well, you are the only ones who've not gone… so… great demonstration of that intelligence there, Peacock."

"Eh, you're just jealous, Soul Boy."

"Let me help with that." Haruka slipped her arm out from behind her Michiru, whose hands – like Rei's – were resting on her stomach, causing Minako to flash her a subtle "V for Victory."

Once the harp was set up, Ami sat behind it, thanking Haruka as Zoi sat the at the piano.

"I don't think any of you have heard this piece before. I wrote it with Ami's help." Ami shook her head slightly at that and blushed.

"Ah, there we go!"

"Jade, shut up."

"Anyway, it's called 'My Pledge'."

He nodded at Ami and together they began the piece. Ami's fingers dancing over the strings of the harp as she lost herself in the music and the memory of the night in which Zoi had finished it. The smile on her face as she played with Zoi reflected the bliss she felt, and she could not imagine a better night than this.

As the last notes slipped away, she opened her eyes, and was surprised that none of their friends were applauding. She frowned slightly, confused rather than insulted, wondering why Usagi seemed to have tears in her eyes.

She blinked and turned to look towards Zoi, she knew that the piece had been performed flawlessly and with feeling, so she could not understand why the others were not reacting. Until she saw Zoi.

He was one knee beside her, and as she turned to look at him, he took her hand in his. "Ami." Zoi grinned, "Nymph. I don't know of any words that can express how I feel better this piece. I love you. I want nothing more than a second chance, and I swear to you that I will get it right this time. Please, will you marry me?"

Ami could feel her cheeks burning, and though she knew how much she was blushing, a very small part of her mind pointed out that Jade was not saying anything. She nodded, not trusting herself to speak as she felt a couple of tears slip down her cheeks.

Zoi's smile was a sight she would never forget as he stood and pulled her into his arms and off her feet, kissing her soundly. She did not protest, but wrapped her arms around his neck, eagerly returning the kiss.

Then the applause started, and as the kiss ended and Zoi set her on her feet, Ami finally found her voice. "It has been a good year."

* * *

AN: A Brief FAQ cause well... I feel like doing this even if there aren't that many frequently asked questions.

**1. Who is the baby daddy? (An actual asked question even if I reworded it!)  
**

Um... I've given all the clues you need to answer that. So, not going to answer it. Cause... I'm mean like that. :)

**2. What ficlet is your favorite?**

I'm not sure. My top three are: Healing (14), Endless Love (18), or My Muse (21). I love all the couples, but these stories (mostly Ami/Zoi) are probably my favorite).

**3. What ficlet are you proudest of?**

There are several that I'm proud of - My Muse (21) for not having any dialogue and The Value of Pain (29) because it was just very different for me. However, the one I'm the most proud of is The Gift of Life (25) since I succeeded with that one (ie, got lots of people asking question number 1 above!).

**4. Do you like Hotaru? You were kind of mean to her.**

I love Hotaru. Like I said before, I was just intrigued by the idea that the Senshi of Silence could not keep a secret.

**5. Why don't we get to see more Setsuna?**

Sets is rather difficult to write because she's so mysterious. I do love her though.

**6. If Kunz is the strict one and Zoi is the spoiler, what are the roles of the other two as Uncles?**

Jade - prankster; Neph - wise; story teller; I think all of them can be sweet, wrapped around finger uncles.

**7. Rei's dream - what was up with that?**

Well... I don't wanna answer because I might actually continue this SM-verse...


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